A Destined Encounter
by Mitsuha Miyamizu
Summary: Would you really risk your life to save someone you've just met? This is a story set in an alternate universe and is about a young girl, who has run away from home, encountering a demon, who has been sealed away for a very long time. Unbeknownst to both the girl and the demon, fate has brought them together. Now, it is up to the girl to decide how this story ends.


_**Disclaimer: Rooster Teeth owns RWBY. Cover art image was drawn by OneHuman. You can find this artist's work on Alpha Coders. This story was also heavily inspired by another story called Juniper's Knot, created by Dischan, who are my heroes. It's through their work that I gained an interest, which turned into a love for writing.**_

* * *

 _ **A Destined Encounter**_

* * *

Much of these stone walls and floors have weathered into dirt and dust, revealing the foundation. Much of the ceiling, too, has crumbled to the ground, layering in flecks and bits. Beneath me now is such tired soil. Tired, tired soil.

There isn't much to do here but burn dead leaves and wait. Watch the fresh smoke rise, then curl up and tickle the inside of my nose. Honestly, the most dull thing anyone can ever do.

But what can I do? I'm stuck. Some might even say cursed; I'd rather say kept in a cage. I don't like to think about it much.

I kneel to the small fire I've kept alive with dead leaves, taking up a few embers and clay into my hand. It's this glow that reminds me that my heart is still beating. I bring the scorched earth close to my face, because I have nothing else better to do, and breathe it in. I taste it and spit.

It's still barren.

 _How long have I been here? . . ._

"Huh?"

There was an unnatural rustling not far off- out west? . . . It's coming closer.

 _What the-? Who-? What is it? . . . That's not a Grimm._

My eyes sharpen and my ears perk up. My heart is thumping in my throat.

 _Should I yell? Would that work? Sound like a dying animal? . . . No . . . Just shut up and listen . . . Just listen._

". . ."

Whatever it is, it's doing something around here. Doors opening and closing suggest an intelligent form of life . . . It's opening boxes and exploring the surrounding buildings.

 _A scavenger? . . . Who could have found this place? . . . Why is it weird to hear these sounds? . . . It shouldn't be "weird", but it is. Huh. I should remember these noises._

The sound of rustling from earlier is getting louder.

 _No way! Is it getting closer?!_

I hear metal clatter against the floor and a chill of excitement travels up my spine.

 _No! Whatever it is, it's inside the mansion! . . . Inside the kitchen? . . . No wait, now it's in the lounge._

I decide, on the chance that the person will find their way to the ballroom, to stand. I pat the dust off of my legs and stare at the doorway, waiting for this new presence.

 _What the-?_

A random girl slowly opens the door, looking around.

 _A human? What's she doing here?_

She's got white hair and she's carrying a pack. There's a bottle strapped to her waist. A sword is clipped to the other side of her waist as well.

 _Maybe she's a Huntress._

I wait for her to turn her attention towards me.

 _Is she really a Huntress? She should have noticed my presence. How can she just wander in and not see me? . . . She does look lost, though._

After what felt like an eternity, she finally turns around and takes a few steps closer and I finally catch her attention. She moves a little closer to look me in the face, and then some more to just stare at me with those light-blue eyes. Then stops there.

 _Okay . . . Now she's just staring._

"Hey," I say, putting on my best smile.

As if realizing something, she stiffens. Her heart beats loudly in the air and her hands tense, ready to grab her sword.

"Relax. I just need your help, so come here." I say.

She doesn't listen and stays where she's at.

 _What is she up to? . . . She dares ignore me? . . ._

"Hey! Are you deaf?!" The sudden outburst startles her. "Oh, I'm so~ sorry! Did I frighten you? Was I being unkind? Then you are graciously invited to get over here!"

For the first words I've uttered in a long time, they could've been better.

She's shaking with fear and stands back, hand on the hilt of her sword. Then out of surprise, finally speaks.

"You're not normal."

I sigh and say, "why does that even matter? I'm the same as you, right? Now help me."

She scowled and drew her sword, pointing the flimsy tip at me. "No way! I know exactly what you are. You're not taking my soul!"

"I'll 'what'? . . . Hahahaha! Good one!"

 _Oh, when was the last time I had a good laugh like this?_

I grin, watching and chuckling while she shrinks back a little.

"Hey, now. Where do you think you're going? You're too perfect. Will you not stay and listen for a moment . . . Before I take your soul?! Hahahaha!"

At my laughter, she glares. Gathering up enough courage, she speaks, her sword still pointing at me. "You don't fool me! I know you're not human. You're not going to trick me, demon! I've heard all of the stories and I'm not stupid."

"Oh really? Am I that famous?~ Hahaha!"

"You know exactly what I mean!"

"Not at all."

"You're a demon! You're all the same, I know exactly how it is."

"Is that so?" I smirk. "Then, please, enlighten me."

"You're all evil, and your kind tricks people."

"And what if I'm not trying to trick you, silly human? What if all I want to do is just talk with you?"

Confusion forms her expression. "What? You just want to talk to me?"

"Of course! All I want is to chat. In fact, why don't you tell me a story."

Her eyes narrow to where they could pierce through the sturdiest shield. "Why would I do that?"

"Well, you see. I've been here for quite some time and have been bored out of my mind. You have no idea how much boredom I've been enduring."

She grimaces and steps back, putting her flimsy sword away. "I think I'll just leave."

"You'd turn your back on a blood-thirsty demon?~" I grin.

"Look, I know when something is wrong. You're not fooling anyone."

 _Heh . . . So precious._

"Fine, fine. You've discovered my intentions. I, like all other demons, am just trying to win your delectable soul through my cunning wit~ . . . But really, I'm just a rookie when it comes to this. But at the very least, tell me a story, human."

She shook her head, staring at me with those piercing blue eyes. "Why? . . . Why do you want me to tell you a story so much?"

I turn away slightly and frown. "Because I'm bored. And your voice- hearing your voice is so- I can't even describe how-"

"Enough with the lies!"

This time, I smile genuinely at her. "I really do want to talk. Would you at least stay to tell me a story?"

". . ."

 _She's genuinely considerate. How nice. But I do want to hear a story from her. I guess while I wait for her to reply, I'll examine her more closely. Hmm . . . She's got a pretty pale complexion . . . Her skin looks smooth . . . Long, white hair tied in a ponytail and kept to the side . . . Admittedly beautiful for a human and . . ._

My eyes wander lower and subtly, I sniff in her scent.

 _Hm . . . She definitely has the smell of well-earned sweat from possibly battling. That's expected of a Huntress. But why does she also smell like oil and smoke? . . . It's not befitting of someone who appears to have affluent origins._

She sighs and says, "I really shouldn't stay . . ." After a moment of silence, she lets out another strained breath. "I guess I can tell you one story- as long as you stay where you're at."

I smile at the welcome response. "What's keeping me from you is more powerful than I care to challenge, human."

She shakes her head and sits down. "Yeah, whatever. This is a story: one that my mother used to tell me when I was little."

I sit down as well, resting my chin on my hands.

"There was once a smith who had nothing to eat. He was really poor, and he didn't have a wife. It made him really sad."

"Was he not attractive?" I ask.

"Don't know." She shrugged.

"Ok . . . Please continue."

"While he was walking down an alley, he met this man. He had on a dark cloak with a hood that covered his eyes, and the smith couldn't tell what he looked like from under that cloak. He stopped, and asked the cloaked man if he'd like his sword worked on. The-"

"That's stupid. Why would he do that?"

"Because he needs all the work he can get. He's poor and needs money, after all." With a strange look, she shakes her head. "I know what you're thinking. 'I've heard this before and know how it goes' . . . Well, you don't!"

 _What?_

"Because the smith says, 'perhaps not'! And he walks away."

 _Exciting! . . ._

She continues her story. "He keeps running into this man in a cloak, and he can't find the end of the alley. Actually, every time it takes longer and longer until he sees the man in the cloak again. On the eighth time he stops and asks, 'what's the game'? And the cloaked man looks at him with his demonic eyes. He says to the smith that he could really use some new knives. 'For what?' The smith says. 'I don't know' the cloaked man replies. 'Perhaps . . . anything'."

 _Where is this story going?_

"What do you want?" She continues. "The smith knows exactly what he wants. Demons have a special pupil shape on their eyes, and he knows a demon when he sees one."

I blink.

 _Really? We have a special pupil shape?_

"So let me see if I understand correctly . . . If this story is anything worth listening to, you think that I might have already trapped you?"

"Well, no. I don't think you did . . . That's what you got out of this story?" She asked.

 _Huh . . ._

I shake my head in disbelief. "You're strange."

"How?"

"I don't know. To me, you're strange."

She shrugs. "If you say so."

Leaning forward with eagerness, I smirk. "So, how does your story end?"

"The smith gets desperate and makes a pact with the demon to get new shoes by the next day. The demon will give him gold for him to do that. So the demon gives him the gold, but he doesn't make it. The demon traps the smith in the alley so he can't leave. His soul is taken and the smith is damned. The demon eats his soul and leaves the alley to become a farmer."

I blink. "Wait, what? A farmer?"

"Yeah, pretty strange, right?" She giggles.

"Haha, that is strange."

"I think it's supposed to mean something, but whatever . . . The point is, don't get caught up with demons no matter what." She finishes.

"Aren't you getting caught up with a demon right now?" I smirk.

Not even a flinch. With an arch of the eyebrow she says, "Well . . . you don't feel right."

"Could you be anymore vague?"

". . . Nothing, never mind."

Watching her closely, I try to figure out her opinions and her story.

 _While she's been telling me this story, it looks like she's taken another idea of me . . . I'm not exactly sure why, either._

"Thank you for telling me that story."

"Don't mention it, ever."

 _So difficult to read . . ._

"Are you still cautious of me?"

"Yeah, a little." She admits.

I frown. "Well-"

"Do you want me to tell you another story?"

The unsolicited offer catches me off guard.

 _Really?- Wait, is she actually offering? . . . But . . . No, if I'm too eager . . . I can't accept it._

"No," I say.

"If you say so." She stands up. "I'm gonna go now."

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah . . . I have to go, so . . . I'm going."

". . ."

 _What do I do? I don't-_

She begins to turn around and walk away.

"Wait! Hold on! Don't leave! I won't take your soul- really, I won't!"

And then like the fool I am, I thrust my hand out, reaching for her with desperation. I move past the second meter- past this barrier's edge with my fingers, and pull them back, flinching as it ignites in flames.

Dropping to my knees, I groan in pain and hold my hand as it agonizingly begins to regenerate. I snarl with pain, shutting my eyes and angrily groaning. In the midst of all this, I hear her come closer.

". . . You're stuck there?" She says with a concerned look.

Looking up at her from the ground, I clench my teeth in frustration.

 _Oh, now I know why I want her to stay . . . to KILL her . . . Because as if it wasn't insulting enough that the vines creep down from the walls and the grass grows through the stone just outside this barrier . . . Now there's a person, breathing in front of me . . ._

 _Heh . . ._

Funny. Everywhere else but here, close to me . . . Time has damned me; cut and clawed beneath my skin. The scars are invisible, but apparent.

 _I hate it- HATE IT SO MUCH! I hate the feeling it gives me, and the strength it takes in . . ._

The flesh regenerates loudly as muscle covers bone and tissue covers muscle.

"How long have you been there?" She asks.

I growl, startling her. "Too long . . . Long enough that I'm begging! Do you understand now?! . . . I've been here in this barrier for too long . . . " I scoff. "It doesn't matter to you anyways."

She gives me a calm look. "I want to know."

"Well, that's unfortunate because I'm not going to tell you."

She rolls her eyes. "Whatever . . . Is your hand okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'm a 'demon' after all. We heal quickly."

 _But I can still feel it snap and pop in the joints._

I blow cool air through my newly restored fingers and stand up from the ground. "Do you still want to leave?"

She was caught off guard by the question and looked away, her cheeks becoming rosy. "I could stay . . ."

" . . . Thanks." I finally say.

She sighs. "To be honest . . . I'm actually lost right now. I can't find my destination."

I stare in disbelief before bursting with laughter. "Wait- You're lost?! Hahahaha! Oh how ironic!"

"Wait, what?"

I sigh. "Come on, I thought you were more intelligent than this. The irony is obvious, human."

She narrows her eyes again.

"Think carefully. After all, I can't even be lost. I'll always know where I am. And where I am is . . . well, trapped in this barrier."

I grin and laugh again, but she doesn't find it funny. She doesn't even know what to think about what I'm saying. I stop laughing, wiping away a tear.

"Yeah . . . I know this place so well that it would make you blush~" I wink.

She flinches and her cheeks redden, "I swear if you-!"

Some more laughter from me.

She takes a moment to calm down and clear her throat, her cheeks still rosy. She takes a seat again. "Ah- uh . . . if you know where this place is, do you know where the nearest city is from here?"

"You have to be more specific."

She rolls her eyes. "I don't care what city it is. I just want to go to a city that's near here."

"There is no other city around here. Just this one you found yourself in."

"Not according to my knowledge, this isn't a city. But, I know there is one around here. I'd show you, but my scroll is broken." She pulls out this strange white object.

"What is that?" I ask, curious.

"You don't know what a scroll is? You really have been trapped in there for a long time."

"You have no idea." I roll my eyes. "Now, tell me about that weird white object in your hand."

"It's like a cell phone."

"A 'what'?"

She stares in disbelief. "How old are you?"

"That doesn't matter. Tell me more about that object."

"Well, it can do many things. But I guess for starters, I can use it to communicate with someone very far away."

"Like . . . telepathic communication?"

"Not exactly." She says, putting that white object away and wrapping her arms around her legs in front of her.

"It's how I remember communicating long distances . . ." Noticing her fatigue, I decided to change the subject to prevent her attention from drifting away. "Did you know this city was once a bustling capital?"

"I . . . What are you talking about?"

"Well, this city . . . I can't even remember its name. But as you can see, it's a dead city. Demons are also born in a city, but not of this world-"

There was a low rumbling coming from the girl.

I sigh. "Can't your stomach keep quiet? I was just about to tell you a story."

"I'm sorry!" She says, embarrassed.

I chuckle quietly to myself.

 _How adorable._

"You're hungry aren't you?"

"Well, obviously . . . "

"Demons only eat souls- and only for pleasure." I wink.

"Ugh, quit joking . . . " Her stomach rumbles again. ". . . Do you have any food?"

"What? . . . Perhaps I was wrong about your intellectual capacity. Do I look like I have any food, human? I don't have any food . . . " I hold my hands out to her, palms up, just centimeters away from the border of the barrier. "Hand it over."

"What?" She stares at my hands, confused.

"Give me the chestnuts in your pack. I can smell them." And her pleasant scent.

"You're not taking my food."

"I loathe chestnuts. Now hand them over, I'll cook them for you in my fire, here."

She yawns, but considers the offer. "Is there something you want for this?"

 _Ah, she knows the rules._

"I want you to stay until noon."

"That's it?"

I nod.

A moment passed before she spoke again. "Alright . . . deal."

Her words resonate deeply, echoing like a church bell ringing. It shakes the ash from the walls of the mansion.

 _She said, 'deal'._

Realizing what happened, she covers her mouth in shock. Perhaps her fatigue and hunger were the cause of her blunder.

I smile. "Give them to me." I twitch my fingers again for the chestnuts.

Still in shock she says, "D-Did I just-"

"Yes, you made a pact with a demon." I wink.

Evidence of protest was apparent, but she stops herself. Shaking her head, she sighs in defeat. Without a word, she carefully takes off her pack and opens it up. Scooping up a handful of the nuts in one hand, she moves forward with her sword in the other hand. She's still cautious of me.

I look down at her, still waiting. And with steady movements, she brings her hand to mine. She holds my gaze, and I don't move at all.

 _Wait . . . Couldn't I just . . ._

I look at how close she is to the edge of the barrier.

 _Just one quick movement . . ._

My hands tense, but it ends with a thought. She drops the nuts into my palms and my fingers curl around it. Again, I smirk.

Seeing this, she jumps back with her sword held in front of her as if preparing to guard against an attack.

"Give me a moment." I say.

I take all but one into my left hand, holding the last chestnut between my right thumb and forefinger. Opening my mouth, I bring it between my fangs and puncture it. I bite through the shell, making a rough cut from one end to the other, and take it out. Observing the bare nut, I spit out the shreds of the shell.

Happy with the result, I go on to carve the second, third, fourth, and so on. When I finish, I toss them onto the burning leaves, cooking it without charring it.

"This will take some time. Want to talk some more?"

"Uh . . . Sure."

"Then put your sword away and have a seat."

We both sit down on the ground. "Now, where was I before your stomach rudely interrupted?"

She sits, chin on her knees and eyes half-closed. ". . . Something about cities?"

"Right . . . My city . . . There isn't really much to say, now that I think about it."

"You said you were born there?"

I nod. "Like all other demons, I was born in an alternate world. For every sin a personーregardless if they're human or Faunusーin Remnant commits, a demon is born. Didn't you say you read about us before in books? Do you already know what happens when we stay in one place for too long?"

"Mm . . ." She quietly nods. "You drain energy from the surrounding vegetation for sustenance, even though you don't need it to survive."

"Yeah . . . It becomes a wasteland. Just dry and lifeless . . ."

"Sounds . . . interesting."

We both remained wordless for a while.

"It's not _that_ interesting." I finally say.

"Did you grow up there? . . . In Hell?" She was more awake now.

"Huh. Good question. Yeah, I did. It was a rough place. Demons were cruel, even to their own kind . . . I used to wonder: is this where I'll be forever? A bloodstained, ruined city in . . . you said my world was called 'Hell'?"

"Yeah . . . So does that mean you left it?"

I nod. "Yeah, I left it to explore and see what was in Remnant."

"Do you have parents?"

"Demons don't have parents . . . Maybe I shouldn't have brought this up."

"You just don't want to talk about it. That's okay, I understand."

"No, it's- there's just not much to talk about. It's all so dull . . . you know?"

She looks at me curiously in silence.

"So, what about your's?" I ask.

"What?"

"Your city, or home."

"Oh . . . " She takes a moment to think about it. "It's not really anything special."

"What's special to you is not the same for me." I chuckle.

"Well . . . It's similar to yours . . . You know about the Kingdoms of Remnant, right?"

I shake my head.

"Well, there are four kingdoms right now. Vale, Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo. I was born in the kingdom called Atlas. Lots of mountains and it's always cold. Outside the walls of the cities, it was dangerous. Both the weather and the Grimm restricted life outside the cities." Sorrow began to cross her expression. "I ran away from home and boarded a cargo ship to go to Mistral. But it crashed and I survived. The pilot didn't . . . And a day later, here I am~ . . ."

"What is this 'cargo ship' you speak of?"

"Oh, right. You're old, I forgot." She smirks briefly. "It's just a . . . I guess you could call it a chariot that can fly?"

"Huh . . . Interesting. Did this 'cargo ship' have any barrels of oil?"

"No, why?"

"Well, your scent is mixed with the scent of oil."

"H-huh?!" Her face flushes red again. "Wait, you can smell me-? From over there?!"

"Yes, you have a pleasant scent." I smirk. "But your scent was mingled with the smell of oil."

If her face could become anymore red, she would be a tomato. "It must be from the cargo ship exploding . . . I had to crawl out of a smoky environment."

"I see . . . You're one thick-skinned human."

"Now, what's that supposed to mean?" Nothing but a glare from her.

It takes me a moment before I realize she misinterpreted my words. "I'm not calling you fat, if that's what you're thinking. I meant that your sturdy- tough."

"Whatever . . ." She says, feeling insecure. Probably because I told her that I can smell her scent.

I sigh. "Well, I think I've made you wait long enough. Ready for me to tell you a story?"

She shrugs.

I clear my throat and loosen up my shoulders.

"Did you know that sometimes the stars act like rain in the night sky?"

"Like a meteor shower?"

"Yeah."

"I've heard and seen it in videos, but never really seen it with my own eyes. I really want to though."

 _I'll have to ask her later what a 'video' is._

"Well, I've seen it before. Something like this: thousands of lights; and they all move slowly along the sky . . . They're really slow that it's almost hard to spot their movement . . ."

She nods, slowly. And nods in another way: drifting into memory.

"Then flash!" The fire jumps higher with my words. The action startles her.

"Flash! Flash! Whoosh!" With each of these words, the flames are stoked. They lick up and dance wildly.

I continue. "Each single star cuts through the sky. Flying freely. And then . . . it dies."

The fire settles down to its original condition and I notice the girl's eyes glaze over.

"Just like that, they die . . . These stars don't have a very long life." I look to the girl and notice a sad look on her expression. "Is this depressing to you?"

"It is."

"I wasn't asking for a correct answer. But, you think it's sad?"

"I do."

"Hm, interesting." I reach in and pull out the chestnuts leaving them on dead leaves to cool. "These are done now." I hold the leaf out to her. "My end of the deal has been met. And you know what?" I smirk. "I'll do you a favor. Give me the rest of your chestnuts and I'll cook them for free. No pacts. No 'deals'. All that's left now is for you to stay."

Narrowing her eyes, she waits a moment. But soon enough, she crawls forward on her hands and knees, dragging her pack with her. She stops at the edge of the barrier and takes the finished chestnuts from my hand. She looks at me with a weird expression. I note that she doesn't have her sword drawn this time.

"What?" I say.

Sitting on the ground, she keeps looking at me, but a bit less cautious. She seems to be wondering something. Eventually, she looks at the chestnuts in her hand. She removes the dead leaf and shells one of them, bringing it into her parted lips. Her face flushes naturally as she chews a little, savoring the perfect taste. She pushes her pack into the barrier with her other hand and settles back a few feet.

"Which part of that was the story?" She asks.

"You aren't so unintelligent after all." I wink.

She ignores the comment as I take up the pack from the ground, shaking it a little.

 _Doesn't smell like there's anything more than chestnuts in here._

I open it up and check, and of course, find the chestnuts in a heap; some still green. I toss those away. Rummaging through the bag for anything interesting was pointless. Just chestnuts and glass bottles that contained Dust.

I say, "it was an introduction. There is a story to it. I told you I've seen this before, right?"

She nods, chewing on another chestnut.

With a hollow sound, I crack one of the chestnuts apart in my mouth. Then I toss them back into the fire. As I repeat these things, I speak to the human girl.

"I was not alone with those stars, then. I was with another person. She was a little girl." Dropping another chestnut into the fire, I watch its fall before floating above the fire.

"She was pretty unique, and Faunus. I think probably only fifteen years old. But still innocent and pure. She was pretty humorous and I'd even say she was charming. We would talk together and laugh." I sigh. "I was interested in her, I think. So when she was depressed one day, I brought her from the city and to those stars. I had this feeling and I knew that the stars were going to fall. I thought the falling stars would help her feel better."

The girl constricts her brow, chewing somewhat sadly.

I give her a brief assuring smile. "Oh, don't worry. It did help her feel better."

She swallows as she sees my expression darken.

". . . I never really understood humanity and their fierce prejudice towards Faunus-kind. I've always been open-minded, not really caring about what others thought . . . But because of what I did- no, because of everything I did . . . No one was happy when she returned to the city."

"What happened?" The girl asks, intensely focused with those blue eyes.

"After I took her back to the city, she was branded as a witch . . . I don't know if they recorded these events in your history books, but . . . they did things to her . . . So much that she could not move or breathe when they were through with her."

The girl stares wide-eyed in shock, a chestnut in her hands held stiff only so near to her parted lips.

I sigh. "I buried her under the sky where I last saw that precious smile of her's."

She closes her mouth with a concerned frown.

"A century later, I came back to the spot and found an olive tree grown there . . . It was the most ugliest thing ever . . . " I snarl, startling the girl. "I destroyed the entire plant: its trunk, its bark, its branches and leaves; I ripped out everything . . . "

I would have torn out the roots, but I didn't want to disturb her.

"But, the last time I saw it, it was still there. Alive. It had fruit and looked even uglier than before."

I sigh.

". . ."

After a while, I smirk. "Wasn't that a great story?"

"What-?!" Choking slightly on a chestnut, she regains her composure. "No! Not at all!"

I sigh, dropping the last of the chestnuts into the burning flames.

"Didn't you tell the authorities?! Have those people who did that to her put in prison?!" She asks.

"Are you asking if I retaliated?"

"Not even that- You're a demon! You're supposed to eat people, right?!" She demands, outraged.

"I didn't eat them. What happened to them doesn't matter to the story."

"But I want to know!"

I say nothing.

"Ugh! Seriously? . . . " She sighs before speaking again. "You know when someone does something wrong to a good friend, it's only right that you look out for them. That's what you're supposed to do! That's what love is all about!"

"Love? . . . That's what you learned from the story? That I loved her?"

"Well, obviously!"

". . . It's my story and it's just a story. I'm done speaking now."

"Wha-?! . . . Ugh!"

She throws the chestnut in her hand against the wall across the room, her expression sour. After taking a moment to calm down, she sighs.

"Whatever."

"I was just entertaining you while the chestnuts cooked."

"That's stupid."

"Watch your mouth, human."

"Well, it's stupid . . . " She sighs. "Forget it." She sits back down against the wall, chin on her knees and hugging her legs.

Infuriated at the disrespect, I snarl. "I'll rip your tongue out, ya hear?! Don't even start with me!"

The girl freezes, hand hovering over her last chestnut.

"I'll tear you apart! You hear me?! The last thing you need to worry about is your soul, since I'll make sure there isn't a body for it if you keep this up, human! UNDERSTAND?!"

She stands back up with practiced agility, sword at the ready.

After a moment, I laugh. "You look like you're about to wet yourself! Hahahaha! Did you already forget that I can't leave this barrier?"

Quivering with her sword still at the ready, she speaks. "Don't even joke like that! I thought you were serious."

"Was I?"

The girl lets out a loud sigh, shaking as it leaves her body. She puts away her sword and sits back down, still shaking from the tension. Fumbling while opening her last chestnut, she left bits of the shell on the nut, which she doesn't notice until it is in her mouth. She frowns bitterly and calms down somewhat, being distracted by the bitter taste.

"Some of these are finished." I point to the chestnuts in the fire. "I can toss them to you if you'd like: unless, of course, you're still afraid."

"W-what? No I'm not!" She shakes her head, blushing. "I'm fine . . . But I'm pretty tired. Could you toss them to me anyways?"

I sigh. "Fine, I can . . . But only if you agree to stay with me until sunset."

She narrows her eyes once again, looking up. "It's noon already?"

"It is."

She stares, her vision slowing and jumping and trying to focus in her exhausted condition. Eventually, she squints, leveling her eyes on me. "Umm . . . Didn't you say you'd do it for free?"

I smirk. "Not this. I said I'd cook these for free, and I am."

She furrows her brow and frowns. ". . . Fine. I'll stay with you . . . It's a deal."

The mansion rattles with the sound, she isn't surprised by this.

"So is that all? You're just tired?"

She opens her eyes halfway. "Yeah . . ."

I pick up a chestnut and throw it at her. She catches it without effort, but still dazedly.

"How long have you been away from your home?" I ask.

"I don't know . . . Two days?"

I throw another chestnut. "Isn't that a long time?"

". . . No."

"Come on, now. It's a joke, laugh." I chuckle.

"I don't want to. If I laugh . . . it would basically be like me laughing at you."

"Hahaha! A better joke instead of laughing!"

"A 'better' joke?" She shakes her head in disbelief.

I send another chestnut her way. "My existence."

". . ."

"My current predicament and my existence, both, create the greatest joke in all of history. I know this and I've missed half of it! Hahaha!"

"Stop laughing! It's not funny!"

"Hm, you're too kind." I jokingly perform a gentleman's bow. "I keep going through my memories of another girl like you, but I'm not finding anything . . . And I have lots of memories, you know? Comes with being an immortal, I guess. So much traveling, enjoyable times, regrets . . . Someone like you shouldn't be so kind: you seem to know very well how rough the world can be. It'll make you ugly."

Her breathing become more slower and relaxed, the girl eases into her arms. Her eyes begin to shut.

"Or maybe it used to be. It _was_ a rough world. If you don't live in that bad of a place, maybe this world is also kinder now. It would explain you being so kind."

She blinks.

"You see, where I was raised, it was tough to get around without encountering trouble . . . Do you know why I laughed earlier? When you mentioned souls?"

She blinks.

"You have no idea how obsessed most demons are over souls. Well, the really interesting ones. Similar to your soul. The really mature, spirited souls: heavy with character and experience . . ."

She closes her eyes and drifts away into sleep.

"A newborn's soul, for example, won't do anything for us. It is special though. It's very . . . pure."

I look at the girl and throw a chestnut at her. It bounces off her hair and falls to the ground. She doesn't even flinch. Then I look at the small fire, gazing at it.

 _The fire . . ._

I feel my face scrunch into a scowl.

 _These- . . . THINGS INSIDE IT!_

For a flash of a moment, I consider destroying them, but doing so would break my pact.

". . ."

 _No it wouldn't . . . But I still won't . . ._

I turn to the girl, sleeping against the wall.

 _I would rather burn this . . . this girl . . . I should've grabbed her while she was at the edge of the barrier! . . . Would it have been that easy though? . . . Or do I need her agreement to exchange her life for mine from the barrier? . . . Did I already forget the conditions?_ _This girl be damned for giving me hope!_

Pressing my hands into my face in anger, I glare at her through parted fingers.

 _If I could just lunge out from here and take her . . . I'd do it . . . I WOULD!_

I growl. My body still remembers the pain of my leg burning all the way down to the deepest level.

 _And I still would! I'd still lunge out from here! . . . I'd do it a thousandth time to get out of this barrier . . . Why didn't I grab her before?! THE HUMAN WAS AT THE EDGE! WHY DIDN'T YOU PULL HER IN YOU IDIOT?!_

A growl of frustration escaped my mouth.

 _I've forgotten so much! . . . Is this what it was like? . . . Having hope? . . . I can't keep going on like this . . . I want to leave, but no more . . . If this hope keeps doing this to me . . . I can't keep going like this . . . I want to die . . ._

I growl in frustration again, dropping to my knees.

 _I'd bite my tongue again, burst blood from it and drown myself! Nails in my wrists, digging and ripping! Pulling out my throat! Again! . . . TO GET OUT OF THIS PREDICAMENT! . . ._

I whine in silence, my fists pressing into the ground.

 _Every moment that I'm- what is even a moment anymore? A few weeks, she said; what are weeks? What are months? Years? I've been here for too long . . ._

I sigh. The quiet settles in, and the wind dashes the leaves. Scraping leaves, scraping leaves, scrape, raindrops falling again, again, again- embers in my hand; I scream just to hear a voice again.

 _What happened to my life? . . ._

My jaw is shaking, my eyes are warm.

 _I wish you hadn't come here . . ._

Looking up from the ground, I look at this peaceful- peaceful-

 _She's so peaceful right now isn't she? . . ._

"Wake up!" I growl and throw another chestnut at her, missing. "WAKE UP!"

Another and another.

"Can you see me?! See this body?! It doesn't let me sleep!"

I take a handful of the cooked chestnuts and toss them at her.

"I haven't slept at all . . . I haven't slept for even a moment! I've always been awake! . . . Two days?! You miserable-! Had I only been here two days, I'd kill the human that did this to me! . . . You hear me?! . . . When you're dead, I'll find your grave and spit on it! I'll plant an olive tree there!"

I throw, and throw, and throw, missing, missing, missing . . .

"I hate you! I ha- . . ."

 _Am I sobbing now? . . . A demon sobbing . . ._

I drop my arms to the ground, crying in shakes.

 _I don't think I've ever wept in my life . . ._

* * *

 _"Oh my god! You killed her!"_

 _"Weiss, listen to me. She attacked me first."_

 _"You liar! Winter would never do that!"_

 _"Weiss!"_

 _"Stay away from me, you murderer!"_

 _"Weiss!"_

* * *

My eyes open and my heart is pounding quickly. After getting a feel for my surroundings, I close my eyes and let out a sigh of relief.

 _Not this nightmare again . . ._

"Mm . . . " I feel dizzy.

 _I always feel dizzy when I'm waking up . . . Ugh, my mouth is dry, too. It's awful . . ._

I lick my lips and rub my eyes, still tired.

 _Wait . . . Why was I tired? . . . Oh yeah, I got lost . . . I was on my way to . . ._

I open my eyes again and it looks like fog. I rub them again and notice that guy from before sitting in front of me.

 _Is he asleep?_

"Hey, are you asleep?" I ask.

"No." He says immediately.

 _Oh, I just thought so since his eyes were closed and all . . ._

"I can't sleep."

I look at him weird, then flinch. Something rolls out of my hair and drops to the ground.

 _Oh, it's one of those chestnuts. Wait, why are these in my hair?_

I shake my head a bit and three more fall out.

 _Wait! Did he throw these at me?_

I look at him. His cheeks are wet and his nose is red.

 _Was he crying?_

"Is everything okay?" I ask.

He scowls and snarls at me. "Get lost."

 _Oh . . . He's in that angry mood again._

"Um . . . If you got mad because I-"

"What did I just say?" He said that like it was a fact instead of a question and I freeze. "Get. Lost."

 _Wait a minute. What did I do? I thought I was being nice!_

"You want me to leave?"

He keeps staring at the floor.

 _. . . What time is it?_

It didn't even look like sunset. It's not even sundown yet. "Hey, I don't think I can-"

"Get lost."

"But the pact-"

"Leave."

"If I break the pact-"

"I said leave."

". . ."

 _What am I supposed to do? I can't leave! I'll be damned and can't- . . . I can't just walk out . . ._

"You're kidding me . . . "

 _Oops . . . I didn't mean to say that. Good thing it was quiet._

Looking at his flame, there aren't any chestnuts in it. The deal was he had to toss chestnuts to me, and he did do that. I'm out of luck here.

"Hey, I can't leave."

"Leave. I want you to leave . . . Walk out of here, go and be damned."

I just look at him. I'm clenching my teeth together and my heart is going wild.

"Burn in Hell. It's where you belong with all the other people like you."

"Hey! What is your problem all of a sudden?!" I yell.

He picks up his head from his arms and glares at me.

"Just calm down, alright?"

"You really are an idiot."

"And you're crazy! Why are you angry? . . . Why did you even talk to me? . . ."

 _Why did I even talk to him? My instinct would have been to stay away from this place. But . . . Something kept pulling me here . . ._

He starts standing up.

"Whether or not you can leave that barrier, I don't have a problem battling you! You just swore against my life!" A memory crept itself into my mind and I shook my head. "I'm not going to stand for that."

Of course, I'm unsure of myself. I've never battled a demon before.

He snarls and glares. "No, I swore against everyone."

I gulp, all the initial courage I had vanished.

"Your entire. Miserable. Sin-hearted. WORLD!" He growls at me and I leap back, drawing my sword.

Unaffected by Myrtenaster, he continues. "Do you know what I would do if I got out of this barrier?" He steps forward and I step back. "Answer me. Yes or no."

"No . . . "

He leans forward, just before what I'd guess is the barrier. I can feel his breath.

"Kill. Everyone . . . Kill the men. Kill the women, kill the children, kill the newborns! Boys, girls- girls LIKE YOU! To girls like you, I'll dig my hands into them and wrench out everything string by string, and CRUSH THEM UNDER MY FEET!"

"I- . . . I'm sorry, okay?! I don't even know what the heck happened to you!"

He leans back, standing up straight, and breathes out. "Are you afraid of me?"

By instinct, I nod immediately.

"Why?"

"I . . . I don't-"

"I can't TOUCH YOU! SEE?!"

All of a sudden he pushes his hand toward my face. My eyes widen and my whole body locks up.

 _What am I seeing?!_

"I'M TRAPPED HERE!"

His skin is burning off in a red glow. I can see his muscles, disappearing, turning inside out. The red glow is all over his hand.

 _I can see his bones . . . They're melting . . . I can't watch . . ._

"WATCH!"

I turn back from turning away, tears clouding my vision.

He grimaces and clenches his teeth while shutting his eyes. His hand suddenly shoots back into the barrier like it's spring loaded.

"I can't leave . . . understand? Do you understand, human? . . . "

He holds up his arm, a hand missing at the end of his wrist like a stubble.

"This is what I've dealt with for too long . . ."

It starts coming back together, the destroyed parts splitting and the bones getting covered back up by muscle. There's this popping noise and everything.

I feel my stomach churn and quickly run to the corner to wretch out the contents.

"I can't kill anyone . . . I want to but I won't be able to leave this barrier, do you get it now?"

I wipe my mouth and return to him. "Why- . . . Why are you trapped there?"

He shuts his eyes, grimacing as his hand continues to regenerate. "Would you believe me if I said it was a punishment? If I said it was an accident? An unjust imprisonment? Whatever I say, whatever you believe, it doesn't matter. I was trapped here a long ago . . . For reasons that don't even matter anymore."

"You . . . I don't think you're being honest with me." I say.

"And why's that, human?" He snarls.

"I said it before, you need to calm down . . . And stop calling me human!" I sighed, shaking my head.

 _Why am I about to say this? . . ._

"Tell me how to get you out of there." I say.

". . ."

 _He totally thinks I'm crazy . . . I am._

"You've lost it." He scoffs.

"No, I still have my sanity. I know what I just said to you. Now tell me how to get you out of there."

"If you haven't lost it, you never had your sanity in the first place . . . . Oh, now I see. You're pitying me."

"Look, I'm still thinking straight."

"You're insane."

"Quiet!"

He growls like a lion at me. "Shut your mouth and listen!"

I stop.

"Do you really know what you're saying?! Remember _what_ you're talking to."

"I just think that-"

"I didn't just 'retaliate'."

 _Wait, what?_

"I didn't just retaliate against the people who murdered her. I dug my fingers into their eyes and ripped their ugly faces off." He said, his expression darkening.

"What? . . ."

He glares at me. "And that's not all that I did . . . When I first saw her lying there, body warm only from the bodies of others, and eyes with no life in them, I destroyed the house where she died. I went to all who lived in her city and killed them. I ripped apart their homes and tore the people inside out."

He snarls angrily. "I crushed their heads. Snapped their bones like twigs. Ripped off their flesh. If it could torture them, I did it . . . And in case you're wondering, you're all the same to me, Human or Faunus. I killed all kinds of you people- Male or female. Young or elderly. It didn't mean a thing to me when I killed them."

He continues. "Soon they gathered at the center of the city, where I had first met the girl, as if to mock me by begging for forgiveness. So I killed them all and stomped their remains into the ground . . . Agonizingly, slowly. On the night she died, I made sure to erase that city from existence."

All my fighting spirit vanishes with what he says.

"Why did you tell me that? . . ."

"You asked." He looks away.

"I didn't want- You didn't have to tell me all the- . . . the whole story!"

He softens, his eyes glazing over with sorrow. "You're right. I didn't. But didn't you 'want to know'?"

"What the heck is wrong with you?!"

"I'm a demon."

"For the love of- no! Is that why you were sealed there?!"

"No."

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

 _This doesn't make any sense . . ._

He sighs. "I've done many things in my life: things some people think are good and some things that people think are bad. I've put a curse on a family for all their generations; I've saved a group of slaves. I've ruined a marriage and saved another; killed people in a town and rescued a child. Slept with innkeepers that had short skirts. I've done . . . lots of things . . . And all of those things that I've said, not one of them is the reason why I'm here."

"Did you forget?"

"Tch. No. I remember it as clear as day. But like I said, the reason is no longer relevant."

 _I can't understand any of this . . ._

"You wanted me to save you, right?" I said. "I swore that's what you wanted."

". . ."

"But now you're telling me all these mixed-up things, and what the heck am I supposed to think?! What do you want?!"

He bares his fangs and his red eyes are glowing. "For you to leave."

I exhale through my nose and close my eyes.

 _There's no way I'm leaving him there. If I left him there, I might as well have killed him._

"You're lying to me. I don't think like you, sure. But I know when someone is lying to me. Why are you lying to me? I _know_ you don't want me to leave. What happened to you?" I look him in the eyes. ". . . How long have you been there?"

". . . I don't know. I don't know anymore."

". . . You don't know?"

"Isn't that what I just said?"

 _That can't be right. All demons have this famous talent for knowing the exact time without needing a clock . . . So what does it mean if they lose it? . . . Wait, hold on a second._

"Hey . . . How much did you love that girl?"

The question catches him off guard. "I . . ."

I hear something click in his throat. He doesn't look like he wants to say.

"Shut up." He says.

 _Yep . . . I feel so sorry for him. It's so weird, but it's like . . . he's so sad. Everything about this guy is sad . . . He's just miserable. He's so . . ._

"You really don't know how long you've been there?"

"Yeah."

I sigh. "I think you've been in there for long enough. I don't think you really want to kill anyone."

"Then you're a fool."

"Enough with that." I look into his red eyes. "Tell me how to save you."

". . ."

I reach out to his hand and grab itーthe hand that was destroyed by the barrier and has healed nowーI hold onto it.

"Please, tell me."

He stares at me. Then looks at my hand, holding it with both of his and he squeezes it briefly. "I need to be . . . switched with another life. That's the only way for me to leave."

I give him my bravest look. "Look, I'm not going to switch with you- hey, listen." I keep him from saying anything else and turning away from my gaze. "I'm gonna find another way, alright?"

He scoffs. "What could you possibly do?"

". . . I'll plant something in your place."

He shakes his head. "Nothing can grow here . . . Did you forget that I'm a demon?"

 _That . . . Shoot, he's right . . . How am I going to . . ._

I shake my head. "It doesn't matter. The land is going to be fine once you're out, right? At least that's what I think . . . What I've heard . . . Look, you just need to trust me." I look up and finally notice that the sun is gone. "You don't want me to leave anymore, I can feel that."

 _He's really holding my hand really tightly._

"But trust me. Let me go and I'll get you out of there."

He looks at our hands and cuts into mine with one of his nails.

"Ow!" I wince. For a flash of a moment, I consider cutting his arms off with my sword. But that would destroy any trust he would have in me.

". . ."

 _No . . . Come on . . . don't do this, please . . ._

I look at his face; he's still staring at my hand. "Let me go." I say.

". . ."

 _Please . . . He wouldn't, right? . . . Don't . . . Don't pull me in, please . . . Stop . . ._

I'm trying to calm my heart. I'm trying not to reach for my sword. But it's hard when he's bringing my arm closer and closer, tightening his grip. I drop to my knees as his grip tightens.

 _Come on . . . Please . . . Please! TRUST ME!_

His nails dig into me again, drawing small beads of blood.

 _Ow! Ow! Please, please . . . Let me go, please . . . Let me go! I don't want to be trapped in there!_

"Let me go . . ." I whisper that, not thinking about it. My eyes are shut and I use every last ounce of willpower to not draw my sword.

And after a while, really slowly . . . He does it.

I open my eyes, shocked. He had let go of my hand, and is now holding his hand up where mine originally was. As he's about to drop it, I gather up courage again and grab his hand once more.

I lock eyes with him and say, "trust me, okay?"

He doesn't say anything.

I let go of his hand and pick up my pack from inside the barrier, the pack I swiped from the ruined cargo ship.

We hold another look.

". . ."

"Please . . . Don't betray me." He finally says. "Don't run away."

"I promise." I say with the utmost conviction. "I promise I won't betray you . . . I won't run away." The walls didn't shake, my voice didn't boom. No pact was made.

I take a step back, and another one. And I hurry out of the ruined mansion.

* * *

I catch my breath as I finish off the last Beowolf, pulling my sword out of its skull and watching it fade.

"Where did they suddenly come from? . . ."

I shake my head, putting my sword away and continuing my journey back to the ruined mansion within the dead city. I can see it now on top of a hill in the far edge of the city.

The moon is high, the grass is glowing. It's dark, but beautiful.

 _It's quiet now that the Grimm are nowhere to be found . . . like always, right?_

It's just wind and leaves. Even animals don't walk through this dead city. I wonder how long its been since people lived here. At least this is probably the first time someone's walked through here with a tree sapling in their hand.

I step into the big room and look out ahead, rubbing my thumb over a branch of the tree sapling I'm carrying. I can see him there on the floor, his hands over his face.

I know he can hear me, since whenever I move even a little, his ears twitch.

I walk forward.

Wiping his nose with the back of his finger, he stands up and exhales. He opens his red eyes and I'm kind of surprised when I see them glowing. Like how a Faunus's eyes would because of night vision.

I stop at the edge of the barrier and he looks at me.

"You look like you've been though a lot . . ." He says.

"Yeah, well . . ." My stomach growls and I sigh. "It's pretty hard to dig out a tree properly with no real tools- and while being attacked by Grimm." I show him the sapling. "Especially one like this."

We both stare at the tree sapling in my hands.

"Isn't that? . . . " He looks at me very critically.

"Yeah . . . It's an olive sapling." I say.

". . ." I can hear a low growl ready to escape his throat.

"I didn't pick this to make insult you, now calm down . . . I know that olive trees are strong. If there is anything that's going to take root in the dirt like this, it's an olive tree."

". . . Right."

"Step back . . . I'm coming in . . ."

He does that after a second or two, and I walk into the barrier. Bending down, I hold the olive sapling up to him.

"Can you hold this?"

He does that too, after thinking about it.

I take a sharp rock out of my pack that I picked up outside and stab into the ground with it, cracking the floor. It sticks in the ground pretty well, but I can still yank it out. I do that and keep breaking up the ground.

I can feel him staring at me, and I know what he's thinking. Even if I don't know much about gardening, I can still see this soil is pretty bad. And he definitely knows as well as I do how it is for growing things. If anything is going to grow, chances are very low.

Seriously, an olive is about the only thing around that might be able to live. Making things worse, I don't have very long before the sapling dies. The roots are good and all, but it's not- . . . And honestly, I don't know the difference between a good sapling and a bad sapling. I just went with my intuition.

So knowing all of that, he's probably thinking of just walking out.

 _That's what needs to happen, right? Two living things enter, only one leaves . . . But I'm not going to turn around to check on him . . . It's not that I don't trust him, but . . . I need to get him out of this barrier without leaving me in . . . If I look at him, if I show him I'm worried, it would ruin everything._

So I keep at it. Keep breaking up the soil with the rock.

I stab and I pull and I dig, clearing out stones and dirt. I pile up all the dirt next to me. After a lot of effort, I lean back and look to see that he's still there.

I hold up my hand and he gives me the sapling.

I take it and open up my pack: filled with wet, healthy soil I gathered while I was gone. I carefully transplant the sapling, putting some good soil over its roots and filling the hole back up with a proper mix of my collected soil and the dirt from the foundation.

 _Careful now . . . Careful with the roots . . ._

I finish planting the olive sapling.

 _Okay . . . that should do it . . ._

I take my canteen from my pack and open it up.

 _This is filled with spring water. Took a while to find that . . . Honestly, it took me a while to do everything. I kind of feel bad for taking so long. But I was as fast as I could be. There should be enough here for a healthy "first" watering, it won't drown._

I pour the water over the leaves and plot, screwing the canteen closed when I finish.

 _That's it . . ._

"That's it." I say.

He looks at me with doubt. "That's all?"

I stand up, wiping sweat away from my forehead with the back of my hand. "Yeah . . ."

We both look outside the barrier's border for a while. I give him a look from my peripheral vision.

 _He's still looking out . . . Relax . . . Okay._

I step forward and he doesn't move. I leave the barrier and turn around and we both stare at the olive tree.

 _Did it work?_

I open my mouth to ask, but close it when I see his expression. He's afraid. He's at the edge of the barrier and afraid.

 _Oh no . . . I just realized. If just touching it before caused him so much pain, how did it feel when he pushed his whole hand through? . . . He didn't show that he was in pain when he did it, but . . . I can't say anything to that. I don't know what it would feel like._

Seeing him like this, shaking with fear and panicking, just thinking about moving ahead . . . I can feel my eyes welling up with tears. I just try not to cry, for him.

He loosens up his shoulders and lets his hands ball into fists at his sides.

With his eyes closed, he steps forward!

"W-Wait!" I cry out.

His foot passes over the edge.

My hand is up in the air. I want to stop him. I don't want to see him in pain anymore.

He puts his other foot forward, completely leaving the spot.

I gasp. "It worked? . . ."

Again and again . . . he walks to me. He lowers himself, and . . . hugs me. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around him. His skin warms up all over, and he holds me tightly and affectionately. He just eases into me, weak.

 _It worked . . ._

"It's okay now . . ." I choke. "It's okay, right? . . ."

He just rests on me, taking away any of the rippling cold in my body with his warmth.

He breathes out past my ear. "Thank you . . ." He whispers and hugs me closer. "I'm sorry . . ."

I shake my head, trying to hold back sobs.

"Can I just stay like this? Just for a moment . . . You're familiar . . . You're strong . . ."

"Y-Yeah! Yes, of course you can . . ." I say, feeling my face heat up.

He embraces me tightly and we don't say anything else.

* * *

"You're a surprisingly emotional person. Is everyone this emotional, now?" I ask.

"It just really hurt seeing you like that . . . " She says, wiping away a tear.

"Right, right . . ."

I'm sure that it did. I was emotional myself.

I gaze out into the distance. "When did I last see this place from here?" I say, reveling in the realization that I'm free and looking around the city that was once full of life. "Has it really been forgotten?" I ask.

"Yeah, I've never heard of it."

"That's good . . . This city was good."

"What was it like?"

"Normal. So normal, in fact, no one really cared that I was walking among them. Just peaceful . . ."

"Really?"

"It didn't bother the residents. I didn't disturb their peace or kill anyone. I also helped protect their borders."

"Huh . . ."

"Anyways, this city . . . I might have liked it. But when I first came here, I didn't think I was going to stay."

". . ." She eyes me curiously.

"Oh right, you're lost aren't you? You said you were going somewhere? Do you know how to get there?"

"Uh, obviously not." She says, rolling her eyes. "My scroll is dead, so I don't have a map."

"I'll help you get there."

". . . Really?"

"I can't really promise you when we will find it, but I can promise that we will eventually find it . . . I'll take you there, I may as well."

"You're not gonna go travel the world?" She asks.

"This should be enough of a journey after being trapped here for so long . . . We'll camp by the eastward spring for tonight, you know of the one east? Is it still there?" I ask.

"Yeah. At least it's probably the same one I'm thinking of." She says. "What time is it?"

"Almost dawn."

"Mm . . ."

"Since I leaned on you earlier, you can lean on me while you sleep. I'll keep you warm." I smile.

She glances at me briefly and looks pensive, her face reddening. She shuts her eyes and looks away. ". . . Fine, I'll be okay with that . . . Thank you."

"I'm glad you stayed . . . I'm glad you were a fool." I laugh.

"Hmph."

"Really, I am. I can't thank you enough for freeing me. I am in your debt, forever."

"Well . . . You're welcome . . ." She says, looking away to hide her blush.

"Don't mingle with any other demons except me." I wink.

"Okay . . ."

 _I honestly feel this isn't real . . . But it is._

"Let's go then." I say, the sunlight beginning to show itself on the horizon.

My mind has become so clear and peaceful since she's freed me . . . Alive. So alive that it fills me with new energy. But I can tell . . . Yeah, I'm happy.

"Hey," she says. "I never got your name."

I stop, realizing it as well. "I don't think we actually introduced ourselves! Hahaha!"

She giggles. "I guess we're both idiots~"

I bow respectfully like a gentleman. "Qrow Branwen, at your service." I wink.

She smiles. "Weiss Schnee."


End file.
